Thomas Meikle's ship would have ferried passengers and vehicles across the River Forth between Alloa and South Alloa. Before the Railway came to the north bank of the Forth in the early 1850's the ferry was very busy as it took passengers across the Forth to link to the train line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Thomas gave up his lease on the ferry in 1852. Having done further digging it would appear that his landlord was actually the local landowner, the Earl of Mar. Thomas may have been astute enough to realise that once there was a rail link on the north of the Forth the need for the ferry link would all but disappear. It also seems apparent that a substantial amount of investment was needed to bring the existing service up to an acceptable standard. I am attaching an advert that appeared in 1861 when the lease was being re- offered and I assume a similar advert attracted James Falshaw in 1852. He seems to have been backed by the Central Railway Co who ran the Edinburgh/Glasgow line through South Alloa. He introduced a brand new steamship 'The Jane' and it was noted that the old boats plying the service had been condemned. By 1855 it was obvious to the Central Railway co that the ferry was losing money and they seem to have bought out James Falshaw and taken over the running of the service themselves. By 1861 the lease is being offered out again to interested parties. Alloa has no direct links by water to Glasgow/ Dumbarton other than by sailing right round the northern coastline of Scotland, so I am unsure where the story of sailing to Glasgow may have come from. I doubt the ferry boats were fit for anything more than a short river crossing.
I think I have found Jane nee Bryce in leith in 1841 and 1851 on Freecen( can't find a matching record on Ancestry). The 1841 indicates that her husband is a seaman. He is absent in both census. In 1851 she has a two year old grandson James Brown living with her.
I have also come across some information regarding James Meikle son of David Meikle and Agnes Dick. I found a death notice in 1887 in the Fife Herald for Catherine Foote described as widow of the late James Meikle, Alloa Ferry. Also a death notice in1903 for David Meikle son of late James Meikle, Manager Alloa Ferry. James Meikle ( mother's maiden name Dick) died in 1856 in Alloa, age 36. He had married Catherine Foote in 1849 ( Alloa/Perth). In 1851 James and Catherine are in Alloa and James is described as Alloa Ferry Boatman.
Isobel
